Method and means for packaging articles



Jan. 3, 1933. M' Q DQDGE 1,892,722

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5,1951

Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MILO C. DODGE, OFAUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR TO COLUMBIAN ROPE COMPANY,

OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD AND MEANS FORPACKAGING ARTICLES Application filed September 5, 1931. SerialIto/561,433.

My invention relates to a novel method and means for packaging articlesand has to do, more particularly, with means by which one or morearticles may be bound together.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a binding meanswhich is low in cost. I

Another object of my invention is to provide means to be employed in theplace of wire, metal straps and twine and which can be speedily tiedwithout knots and without independent fastening devices.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a binding means forpackages which will not break or stretch in use, which will not out theobject bound, which lies flatly against the object and which is notsubject to snagging upon foreign objects with which it comes in contact.

Another object is to provide a tie for such binding means which, thougheasily untied when desired, has, in use, security equal to that of anyknot.

A further object istoprovide a binding means for packaging which may besold to commercial houses in large rolls from which the desiredlengthsmay be out asneeded, yet which, because'it is more or lesslimitedto package binding in utility, will have less theft appeal thancommon twine.

A still further object is to provide a binding means upon whichadvertising or similar matter may. be conspicuously printed.

' Another object is to provide a tie for package binding means which isalmost unnoticeable.

Another object is to provide a tie for package binding means which isflat and across which-a tell-tale seal may be readily and firmlyattached.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies ofconstruction and op eration will definitely appear from the detaileddescription to.follow. In one instance, I accomplish the objects of my'inventionby the means set forth in the following specification. Myinvention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims.Structures constituting preferredembodiments of my invention areillustratedin the accomals refer to the same panying drawing forming apart of my specification, in which:

Figure l is a view, in perspective, of a tape and tie formed inaccordance with my invention and applied to a rectangular object;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional vew through such a tapeand tie as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the tie in Fig. 2 andtaken on the line; 33 thereof;

Fig. 4 is a View, in perspective, of the ends of the tape, with theseveral folds thereof separated so that one end may be telescoped withinthe other end to form a tie in accord ance withthe embodiment of myinvention shown in Figs. 1 to 3; v

5 is a transverse sectional view tarough a modified form of tape tie;

Fig 6 is a view, in elevation, of one end of. a paper strip from whichfour ply convolulated tape is formed, the location of the fol s beingshown. in dotted lines; and v Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinalsectional view through a four ply tape and tie, formed in accordanceWith my invent-ion, as applied to an object having a curved surface,such as a rolled stack of sheets.

In the drawing, the same reference numerparts throughout the severalviews. I

In general, my invention consists in tightly drawing, around an objector objects to be bound, a strip offie'xible material folded lengthwiseupon itself, inserting the folds at one end of the strip between thefolds at the other end and pressing the fold surfaces into such strongfrictional contact with each other that the ends of the strip cannot beseparated by normal strains imposed upon the strip.

Referring to the drawing, my preferred binding tape 10 is of four-plyconvoluted construction formed by longitudinally folding a ribbonofkraft paper upon itself three times and providing plies a, b, 0, (Z.In the broadest aspects of this'invention, the tape be formed of othermaterials and With inexpensive, strong, and lends itself eXtre1nely wellto the present method embodying my invention.

The tying together of the ends 11 and 13 of the tape is preferablyeffected in the following manner shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The plies a, b,0, d, at the end 11 of the tape, are separated from each other and theend 11 enlarged, as shown in Fig. 4. The plies a, Z), 0, (Z are alsoseparated at end 13 but to a slightly lesser degree, and the end 13 isinserted and telescoped into the end 11 with the ply portion 130ensheathed between ply portions 11a and 110, ply portion 13d between11?) and 11d, while ply portion 11a is ensheathed between ply portions13a and 180, and ply portion 11?) between 13?) and 1345. The tape isdrawn tightly about the object to be bound, and the slack in the tape istaken up by the telescoping operation just described. Thus, it will beseen that the length of the telescoped or lapped portion 12 will bedetermined by the length of the tape as compared to the girth of theobjectbound. A good tie may be had in five-eighths inch tape with a lapin the ends of as little as one inch, though a three inch lap is to bepreferred for security. After the ends of the tape have been thustelescoped, the tape is shifted around the object 14 until thetelescoped or lapped portion 12 is disposed upon a corner or curvedsurface 14a of the object and conforms thereto so that there is atransverse bend made in the lapped portion. This bend and pressureagainst the corner 14a bind the contacting surfaces of the several pliesso tightly against each other that separation of the ends 11 and 13 ispractically impossible. When it is desired to disconnect the ends, it isnecessary merely to shlft the lapped port-ion 12 to a flat surface ofthe object and pull the ends apart.

In Fig. 5 I have shown, in cross section, a somewhat modified form oftie for four-ply convoluted tape. It will be noted that the inner pliesa and b, so far as the tie 15 is concerned, are employed as a single plyof double thickness. The tie is in a sense, then, the form of tieapplicable to three-ply tape. In this embodiment of my invention, plyportion 13d is ensheathed between ply portions 116 and 11d as in thecase of the tie shown in Figs. 1 to 4, but ply portion 130 is associatedwith end 11 as to ply 0 only, and ply portion 13b is associated with end11 as to ply a only, whereas ply portion 13a is disposed between plyportions 135 and 130 and is wholly out of association with end 11 of thetape. In this form, the ply 13a serves as a reinforcing stiifeningelement, and ply 11a also serves in this function in addition to itscontact with ply 13b. The tie is, therefore, stronger than a tie incommon three-ply tape would be. In addition, and as its special featureof merit, it is extremely easy to form in four-ply tape. As to themanner of locking it on a corner of the object to be bound and as to themanner of untying the ends, the form shown in Fig. 5 is similar to theform shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

In the case of cylindrical objects and other objects such as bundleswhich have surfaces more or less round in configuration, the lappedpoint should be placed at the point of greatest curvature, 16a. In Fig.7 such a construction is shown. Tying and untying of the tape iseffected in the same general. manner as with an angular object, but, ifthe object is of a compressible nature, as for example a rolled stack ofsheets 16, these operations are greatly facilitated by temporarilyslightly constricting the object ad] acent the tape.

It will thus be appreciated that I have provided a binding means forpackages which is cheap, strong, easy to apply and remove, which is notsubject to being snagged upon foreign objects, and which may be appliedto delicate objects without danger of injuring them. If desired,printing may be placed upon the tape. A tell-tale seal may be readilyplaced across the ends of the tape to indicate that the package has beenopened.

The disclosed mode of packaging is applicable to almost any object,whether wrapped or bare, unitary or composed of many small pieces. Byway of example, it has utility and merit in the packaging of laundry,toothpicks, matches, pencils, cigars, books, sheet paper, magazines,paper currency, in the binding of grain to be shocked, and of otherarticles too numerous to mention.

While in the preferred embodiment, the

tape tie is disclosed as applied to a four-plyv convoluted tape, it isto be distinctly understood that the invention is not so limited, andthat the present invention is applicable to tape having any number ofplies from two up. Likewise, the invention is not limited to kraft papertape, but may be employed with tape of various grades of paper, cloth,or flexible sheet metal. While the corner or curvature of the objectbound is ample as a means of maintaining frictional contact between theplies of the tape tie, and constitutes one salient feature of thisinvention, this function could be accomplished by a clamping device, ifdesired, without avoiding the broader aspects of my invention.Similarly, other methods are contemplated by which the ends of the tapemay be telescoped with or without the assistance of an implement. Anindependent reinforcing strip of sheet metal or fiber may beincorporated in the lapped portion to lend stiffness and increase theeffective strength of the tie. I am aware that numerous other changesand refinements may be made in the means herein disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention. 1, therefore, claim myinvention broadly as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A package comprising a bundled object having a tendency to expand orcome apart, and a band of adjustable size inextensibly encircling andsnugly binding said object, said band comprising a ribbon of thinflexible material folded lengthwise upon itself a plurality of times toconstitute a flat narrow tape of uniformly convoluted multi-plyconstruction, said tape having its end portions tightly telescopicallyinterlaminated.

2. A package comprising a bundled object having a tendency to expand orcome apart,

and a band of adjustable size inextensibly encircling and snugly bindingsaid object, said band comprising a ribbon of thin flexible materialfolded lengthwise upon itself a plu- 2o rality of times to constitute aflat narrow tape of uniformly convoluted multi-ply construction, saidtape having its end portions telescopically interlaminated with theseveral plies alternately interposed and interlapped in tight frictionalcontact.

3. A package comprising a bundled object having a tendency to expand orcome apart, and a band of adjustable size inextensibly encircling andsnugly binding said object, said band comprising a ribbon of thinflexible sheet material folded lengthwise uponitself several times toconstitute a flat narrow tape of uniformly spirally convoluted multi-plyconstruction, said tape having its end portions telescopicallyinterlaminated and snugly disposed across an angular or curved surfaceof said object.

MILO C. DODGE.

